HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING A FLEXIBLE DISPLAY

• US 20130120912A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ladouceur, Norman Miner, Griffin, Jason Tyler
• Application Number:
  US13/296,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120912A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a housing, a flexible display associated with the housing, and an input portion linked to the housing. The flexible display has a folded arrangement in which the flexible display defines a first portion and a second portion. The device is configured to sandwich the input portion in-between the first portion of the flexible display and the second portion of the flexible display when the flexible display is in the folded arrangement.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a flexible display associated with the housing, the flexible display having a folded arrangement in which the flexible display defines a first portion and a second portion; and

an input portion linked to the housing, wherein the device is configured to sandwich the input portion in-between the first portion of the flexible display and the second portion of the flexible display when the flexible display is in the folded arrangement.

2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display is configured to transition between the folded arrangement and a substantially planar arrangement.

3. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the input portion is movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position when the flexible display is in the substantially planar arrangement, wherein the input portion lies on the flexible display in the first position, and wherein a top of the input portion is adjacent to a bottom of the housing in the second position.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 3, wherein the device is configured such that, when the input portion is in the first position, the input portion at least partially covers the flexible display.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 3, wherein the device is configured such that, when the input portion is in the second position, the flexible display is fully viewable to a user of the handheld electronic device.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display is configured to be folded into the folded arrangement, and wherein the flexible display is configured to define a maximum angle of rotation of 180°

when the flexible display is folded into the folded arrangement.

7. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a flexible display supported by the housing, the flexible display having a first portion and a second portion connected to one another by a bendable portion, wherein the flexible display is configured to be folded about the bendable portion with the first portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the second portion; and

an input portion disposed in-between the first portion of the flexible display and the second portion of the flexible display.

8. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein the input portion is movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position, wherein the input portion lies on the flexible display in the first position, and wherein a top of the input portion is adjacent to a bottom of the housing in the second position.

9. The handheld electronic device of claim 8, wherein the device is configured such that, when the input portion is in the first position, the input portion at least partially covers the flexible display.

10. The handheld electronic device of claim 8, wherein the device is configured such that, when the input portion is in the second position, the input portion and the housing have a substantially planar arrangement.

11. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein the housing includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion movable relative to the first housing portion to transition the flexible display to a substantially planar arrangement.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 11, wherein the housing further includes a flexible housing portion connected to the first housing portion and the second housing portion to permit the second housing portion to move relative to the first housing portion.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein the flexible display is configured to define a maximum angle of rotation of 180°

when the flexible display is folded about the bendable portion.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein, when the flexible display is folded about the bendable portion, the input portion is configured to limit movement of the second portion of the flexible display in a direction of the first portion of the flexible display.

15. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a first housing portion;

a second housing portion rotatably arranged relative to the first housing portion such that the handheld electronic device is movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration;

a flexible display supported by the first housing portion and the second housing portion; and

an input portion linked to the section housing portion, wherein the device is configured such that the input portion is disposed in-between the first housing portion and the second housing portion adjacent the flexible display in the closed configuration.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 15, wherein the flexible display defines a folded arrangement when the device is in the closed configuration, and wherein the flexible display defines a substantially planar arrangement when the device is in the open configuration.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 16, wherein the input portion is movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position when the device is in the open configuration, wherein the input portion lies on the flexible display in the first position, and wherein a top of the input portion is adjacent to a bottom of the housing in the second position.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the input portion at least partially covers the flexible display in the first position.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the flexible display is fully viewable when the input portion is in the second position.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 15, further including a flexible housing portion connecting the first housing portion and the second housing portion, wherein the second housing portion rotates about the flexible housing portion relative to the first housing portion.